MLB THREAD

[Mercury Poisoning]

Stupid Punto.

Time to shift my support to the Cubs. =/

[Jaxom 1974]

If you're gonna have a play-in game, let them all be good like that (or the Cubs/Giants or Rockies/Padres). I still don't like the White Sox chances against the Rays, but we'll see what happens.

Ironic that it was Griffey Jr's defense in center field that helped secure the win, rather than his bat.

[smegma]

What a great game, the "Black Out" was a great marketing ploy, everyone there was really into it (and those that didn't come prepared bought black Sox shirts there, genius!). I went to all the Sox's 2005 home postseason games (except the one loss against the Angels) and this was right up there with the level of excitement and nerves. What a performance by Danks, what a play by Griffey/Pierzynski, what a catch by Brian Anderson. Even if we don't advance in the playoffs this year, it was a fun season.

[Gold Storm]

[quote name='Jaxom 1974' post='1538066' date='Sep 30 2008, 19.22']If you're gonna have a play-in game, let them all be good like that (or the Cubs/Giants or Rockies/Padres). I still don't like the White Sox chances against the Rays, but we'll see what happens.

Ironic that it was Griffey Jr's defense in center field that helped secure the win, rather than his bat.[/quote]

Before he got hurt, he was one of the better defenders in the game, I liked how he was able to come up big in this game and show a glimpse of his old pre-injuries self. I also do not think that they will take down the "name redacted" Rays, but Chicago fans always have that bit of hope.

[Andrik the Unsmiling]

Alright, postseason predictions... I don't have many this year, but the ones I do have I feel very strongly about: 1) Cubs will play the Phillies for the NL Crown. 2) Cubs will win the NLCS. 3) The Angels will DEFINITELY NOT make the WS... I'm pretty sure they won't get out of the first round, but the 5 game series is harder to predict.

[▲Jim▲]

[quote name='Weekapaug' post='1537690' date='Sep 30 2008, 14.40']Cliff Lee and Brad Lidge win Comeback Player of the Year in their respective divisions. Cliff Lee was a pretty clear one (Huff wouldn't have been a bad choice either or Ervin Santana), but Lidge? How does someone like Jorge Cantu not win that award? Lidge wasn't THAT awful last year 67IP 88ks 3.36ERA 1.25. As a matter of fact, that's a pretty fucking good year. So what if he had *only* 19 saves. It's just silly to think of it really as a serious comeback. Great job Brad Lidge you never lost the fact you were one of the most talented pitchers in the league and you were briefly broken by Albert Pujols and bullpen mismanagement. Of course the awards don't matter much, still I just don't see how that is an impressive comeback. Other than Cantu...Delgado maybe?[/quote]
I do not pay much attention to anything other than the Phillies, so I did not know to much what Lidge did last year but, I knew he did ok. I also thought him as come back player of the year to be a little of a stretch, though I am happy for him.

[EHK for Darwin]

DOOOOOOONNNNNN'TTTTTTTTT STOP BELEIVING!!!!

What a fucking awesome game. I made the playoff games in '05. The atmosphere was that intense if not moreso. Props to the blackout marketing. Just a sea of black everywhere. Of course I'm the guy who always forgets to wear green on St. Patty's day, so its a pure stroke of luck that I was wearing all my black Sox gear for this. (ok, so not really luck. Given their colors, i had a 50/50 shot of getting it right)

Standing room tickets, bought them a few hours before the game. Well fucking worth it. Jesus Christ I've seen that Griffey to AJ play at the plate a dozen times. And that Thome bomb was MASSIVE, landed in the center field concourse. (which for Comiskey is pretty damned far) Was tempted to jump the person who snatched it (I could see them flaunting the ball near me, they'd have been asking for it.), but I figured we're all Sox fans here.

Greatest game I've ever been to and I've been to a few. (Although none of the World Series games sadly) Shouting, screaming, jumping, hugging...every bar we hit after the fact was loaded with Sox fans. Those who were there and those who wish they were there. Still got my towel. (did they just raid a bath and body works? No logos, nothing. Just plain black) My ticket. And tomorrow, most likely my hangover.

Also got an awesome little story from the bar afterwards, but I'll leave that for another day.

GO SOX. No matter what happens in the playoffs, this was an awesome fucking day. And hopefully rather than tired, the players will be motivated and ready to Rally. Tampa Bay wasn't supposed to sniff the post season for any of the next 500+ years in the Red Sox/Yankees division. Hopefully they'll be a bit overwhelmed by all of it.

[Week]

[quote name='smegma' post='1538109' date='Sep 30 2008, 23.34']What a great game, the "Black Out" was a great marketing ploy, everyone there was really into it (and those that didn't come prepared bought [b]black Sox[/b] shirts there, genius!). I went to all the Sox's 2005 home postseason games (except the one loss against the Angels) and this was right up there with the level of excitement and nerves. What a performance by Danks, what a play by Griffey/Pierzynski, what a catch by Brian Anderson. Even if we don't advance in the playoffs this year, it was a fun season.[/quote]
I thought it was tempting fate a bit, all I could think about was the Black Sox.

I was rooting for the Twins in the end because I can't stand Pierzynski and I wanted Blackburn to make Ozzie stfu. In the end, it worked out rather well because it was awesome to see Griffey have such a huge moment and to see Danks step up and have a stellar start against a team that has had his number (and on short rest for the first time!)...and Blackburn had a great start, so I'd like to see Ozzie give props where they are due.

Here are my predictions:
Sox over Angels in 4
Rays over Whitesox in 4

Cubs over LAD in 3
Brewers over Philly in 5

Rays over Sox in 7
Cubs over Brewers in 5

Rays over Cubs in 5

I almost said Sox over Rays in 6..just can't let my inner homer come out that much. :P

[smegma]

[quote name='EHK for Obama' post='1538248' date='Oct 1 2008, 03.09']DOOOOOOONNNNNN'TTTTTTTTT STOP BELEIVING!!!!

What a fucking awesome game. I made the playoff games in '05. The atmosphere was that intense if not moreso. Props to the blackout marketing. Just a sea of black everywhere. Of course I'm the guy who always forgets to wear green on St. Patty's day, so its a pure stroke of luck that I was wearing all my black Sox gear for this. (ok, so not really luck. Given their colors, i had a 50/50 shot of getting it right)

Standing room tickets, bought them a few hours before the game. Well fucking worth it. Jesus Christ I've seen that Griffey to AJ play at the plate a dozen times. And that Thome bomb was MASSIVE, landed in the center field concourse. (which for Comiskey is pretty damned far) Was tempted to jump the person who snatched it (I could see them flaunting the ball near me, they'd have been asking for it.), but I figured we're all Sox fans here.

Greatest game I've ever been to and I've been to a few. (Although none of the World Series games sadly) Shouting, screaming, jumping, hugging...every bar we hit after the fact was loaded with Sox fans. Those who were there and those who wish they were there. Still got my towel. (did they just raid a bath and body works? No logos, nothing. Just plain black) My ticket. And tomorrow, most likely my hangover.

Also got an awesome little story from the bar afterwards, but I'll leave that for another day.

GO SOX. No matter what happens in the playoffs, this was an awesome fucking day. And hopefully rather than tired, the players will be motivated and ready to Rally. Tampa Bay wasn't supposed to sniff the post season for any of the next 500+ years in the Red Sox/Yankees division. Hopefully they'll be a bit overwhelmed by all of it.[/quote]

We were right by the third base dugout, got our tickets on Stubhub before the game was officially taking place so they were only 80 or so a seat instead of 500 plus. The best part was when Thome and Dye and Pierszynski were all jumping up right there, my boyfriend got some awesome pictures of them celebrating with us.

We didn't make it to the bars afterwards because both of us suffering from a serious flu bug, but damn if we were letting that make us stay home last night. I was hacking away in the stands but it was well worth it.

I think to a man everyone was disappointed in those towels. I'll forgive them after that game though.

[Caliban]

And so we begin. Firstly, I loath the playoff format. It should be 2 divisions per league, division winners play a 7 game CS and then the pennant winners play a 9 game WS. A 5 game set is a crap shoot.

That said I like the matchup against the LADs, their lineup blows (furcal's timing?) and their strength is a bullpen that should factor into playoffs far less then a 162 game season with 4-5 starters. I think we will be okay. Just get this game today. Thats what needs to go down. Get today's game and go from there. Just fucking get it baby.

Fuck the city of LA. Fuck it. Fuck the polluted rats nest.

One time Dempster.

My march 30th preseason post revisited:

[i]
Somebody needs to start an actual MLB thread now. Hopefully weather holds up and we'll have a game and Big Z can get on the hill at 1:20 and start mowing down the potent Brewers lineup.

Most groups that run good prognostications have the Cubs having a great season. Im a little jacked to be honest. This will b e my first full baseball season in the city since 2001. Im excited. The team looks great everybody is jacked up, and we got this goofy lookin asian dude that could be sick. We have the best defensive outfield weve had in my fanhood we have the deepest starting pitchinng ive seen and we have a disgusting mix of veteran and young position players thaat can mash and run. Were lean, quick, fast, smart and awesome. We also will dominate the Stl punk asses hard this year. LaRussa is dirty piece of garbage and his ballclub sucks and i really love that. The brewers have what may be the worst defensive team in the history of baseball. The Reds have unquestionably the stupidest piece of shit in baseball managing their team, destroying the careers of his young starters and playing a host of the shittyiest old ass 'dudes' he can find, corey patterson is absolute garbage and hes blocking the best position playing prospect in the national league in center field. Dusty Baker is an assclown. Pittsburg is an absolute joke. Houston sucks. The Cubs are going to own this division and we have thing Japanese dude who looks like he could spin kick Pujols' HGH infused head off his body. Fukudome could spinning roundhouse Tony Larussa so hard his foot would touch that piece of trash's brain and then karate chop through his torso so his cold blood and worms come crawling out of his mutilated body. Felix Pie is as fast as a superhero, and now that his left testicle is sown to his scrotal wall nothing, nothing can stop him now that his ball is surgically attached to his ballsack. Id love to kick Dusty Baker's ass. [b]Ryan Dempster is now a startign pitcher and althought he move makes absolutely no sense and Jon Lieber will have that starting spot by mid May,[/b] it makes Kerry Wood the closer which is a good thing. While the Save statistic is the most overvalued of the useless baseball statistics, a bunch of saves will get Kid K on ESPN and bring back the 'we dont need viagra, cause we got Wood' signs and that guy could really use some good national press. Though unfortunately WGN is injuncted from showing Kerry's sexy wife on screen,, its nice to remember that after Kerry strikes you out with a nasty biting slider, he has nasty sex that probably involves biting with a super hot chick. Dont get hurt again Kerry, when you fell out of that bathtub it was like i fell out of it with you. The rest of the national league kind of sucks. I dotn fear santana and promiss you that Derrek Lee doesnt give a fuck about santana. He'll mash santana like he mashes everybody else in his return to 2005 form season (46 HRs 175 OPS+ shoulda been an MVP season but pooholes injected his way to the unfair MVP) and Soriano will his 40 bombs this year. Zambrano Lilly and Hill are all sick and marmol has the nastiest slider in baseball. Our bullpen is awesome, defensively we are sound, we are going to hit the shit out of the ball and for sure were gonna take it this year. Its out there for us and they just need to go out their and take it.

2008 MLB World Series Champs. Chicago Cubs. [/i]

I was so on about Dempster. Cant believe hes got the ball to the start the postseason, awesome year Demp.

[Week]

[quote name='Caliban' post='1538441' date='Oct 1 2008, 09.30']And so we begin. Firstly, I loath the playoff format. It should be 2 divisions per league, division winners play a 7 game CS and then the pennant winners play a 9 game WS. A 5 game set is a crap shoot.[/quote]
4 teams out of 30 make the playoffs? No thanks. I do agree that the 5 game sets are far from optimal though, I'm not a fan. A longer series forces teams to show a little more consistency and put more of their starters out there (testing rotational depth) whereas a 5 game series can be dominated by 2 ace starters on a team.

Another gem from your old post:
[quote name='Caliban' post='1538441' date='Oct 1 2008, 09.30'][i]Zambrano Lilly and[b] Hill [/b]are all sick and marmol has the nastiest slider in baseball. [/i][/quote]
I was completely off about Hill and Dempster as well. I figured Hill to be the number 2 by the end of the year and Dempster would be the fifth starter (or back in the bullpen). Didn't quite pan out that way.

[add-on]

[quote name='add-on' post='1537138' date='Sep 30 2008, 11.08']Sheets is done. The bullpen is shoddy. CC can't start every game. The Brewers take one game against Philly.[/quote]
Forgot to add the Brewers' completely inept defense.

[Week]

Fuck Frank Caliendo and fuck TBS. I am already tired of this shit.

[Young Wolf]

FUCK YES LONEY!

[Gold Storm]

Wow it is frigging quiet in Chicago. The Cub fans are totally out of this game.

[smegma]

[quote name='Weekapaug' post='1539202' date='Oct 1 2008, 17.12']Fuck Frank Caliendo and fuck TBS. I am already tired of this shit.[/quote]


Haha, that guy is so not funny. Talented yet unfunny...what a shame.

These broadcasts on TBS are excruciating.

[Young Wolf]

That was an awesome start to the Dodgers/Cubs series. Love the Dodgers bats really coming alive and taking it to the Cubs.

Just fucking awesome!

YW

[add-on]

Fucking walkfest. The Dodgers didn't come alive and take it to the Cubs; the Cubs took it to themselves. The most demoralizing thing about it is that for many of those walks, the Cubs pitcher would be ahead in the count only to completely fucking lose it. Christ that was rough.

[Fatuous]

[quote name='Caliban' post='1538441' date='Oct 1 2008, 09.30']And so we begin. Firstly, I loath the playoff format. It should be 2 divisions per league, division winners play a 7 game CS and then the pennant winners play a 9 game WS. A 5 game set is a crap shoot.

That said I like the matchup against the LADs, their lineup blows (furcal's timing?) and their strength is a bullpen that should factor into playoffs far less then a 162 game season with 4-5 starters. I think we will be okay. Just get this game today. Thats what needs to go down. Get today's game and go from there. Just fucking get it baby.

Fuck the city of LA. Fuck it. Fuck the polluted rats nest.[/quote]

Down one. Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez, it's why I picked LA over Chicago. It's funny because in a seven game series, I would have picked the Cubs.

The Brewers game didn't go they way I expected though. Game one and the Brewers started with who?

[Young Wolf]

[quote name='add-on' post='1539435' date='Oct 1 2008, 22.25']Fucking walkfest. The Dodgers didn't come alive and take it to the Cubs; the Cubs took it to themselves. The most demoralizing thing about it is that for many of those walks, the Cubs pitcher would be ahead in the count only to completely fucking lose it. Christ that was rough.[/quote]

Even if you dont count the 3 walks to set up the grand slam, the Dodgers still outscored the Cubs...so it wasnt just the walks. In fact until that grand slam, the Dodgers couldnt capitalize on the previous walks made by Dempster.

The 7th, 8th, and 9th inning runs would have won the game for the Dodgers alone. Out of Dempster's 7 walks, he was only hurt by 3.

YW